Trying to be vegan and delicious!

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Autumn

This time of year, everyone starts craving pumpkin. I’ll leave pumpkin-spiked coffee for other people to rhapsodize over; I’d rather focus on pumpkin baked goods! Since Canadian Thanksgiving is two and a half weeks away, I’m trying to post a recipe with enough time in advance so that you can actually make it (Unlike Valentine’s Day and St Patrick’s Day in the past). This recipe sets like a charm – no runny filling or dry, tofu flavour. I promise that the spicy pumpkin flavour really shines in this recipe! If you plan on making this for a mixed crowd, don’t even bother telling anyone that it’s vegan, as they will never know.

A few notes about substitutions:

The good news is that this can be enjoyed by people with dietary sensitivities, too – if you want it gluten-free, just use certified gluten-free cornstarch and a gluten-free or nut-based pie crust.

Over the past years, I have used almost every iteration of dairy-free milk possible, and everything works except the extremely low-fat milks. If you are using potato or rice milk, sub in a few tablespoons of coconut milk for the total “milk” volume. Or, in desperation, sub in one and a half tablespoons of neutral-flavoured oil (I have done this and it works).

Any tofu labelled “soft” will work – unsweetened, dessert tofu, or Mori-nu vacuum packed. I have not tried using traditional asian tofu or medium tofu, so I can’t vouch for the success of that substitution.

If you have a favourite combination of spices from a family recipe, go ahead and use them here instead of the ones I have recommended.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie – An original recipe by Agent Minty

1 prepared pie crust

2 cups canned, cooked pumpkin (non seasoned), divided

6.5 Tbsp (1/3 of a 300g/10oz package) of soft tofu… do not press beforehand!

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp dairy-free milk

3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

3 Tbsp arrowroot OR corn starch

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400F.

Pre-bake crust: Roll out pie crust and fit into pan. Prick all over with a fork. Cover with tin foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes until crust is barely golden. Remove tin foil and allow to cool while finishing the filling.

Readjust oven temperature to 350F

Combine 1/2 cup pumpkin with the tofu in a food processor. Blend for at least 5 minutes, until the mixture is a smooth, creamy orange with no flecks of tofu. You may need to scrape down the bowl halfway through.

Add the remaining pumpkin and process another minute.

Add the remaining ingredients and process 2-5 minutes if smooth, scraping down the bowl if necessary.

Pour into the pre-baked pie crust and smooth with the back of a spatula.

Cover the entire pie with a loose sheet of tinfoil. This prevents the crust from burning or the top of the filling from getting leathery.

Bake at 350F for one hour.

Remove the tinfoil and increase oven temperature to 385F.

Optional but nice step: brush the exposed crust with dairy-free milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.